Defender on trial

Last updated : 17 December 2002 By Martyn Elliott

The central defender currently plays for Shaktar Donetsk in the Ukraine and has taken advantage of the winter break to travel to Newcastle.

Okoronkwo has been capped 15 times by the Super Eagles and is valued at £2million.

Also arriving for a trial is China’s World Cup keeper An Qi, the first product of a link up with Chinese champions Dalian Shide.

But Qi does not fit Home Office work permit criteria and it is likely that his trial is just a PR exercise.